LITMIR.BIZ

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headquarters were their old headquarters from years before, but newly renovated. The squat, three-story, glass and concrete building was in the wealthy suburb of McLean, only a few miles from the CIA. It had a helipad with a brand new black Bell 430 hunched on the tarmac like a dragonfly, gleaming white SRT logo on its side.

      There were four black agency SUVs parked in the lot. The building had offices on the first and second floor, and a state-of-the-art conference room that was nearly a match for the Situation Room at the White House. It had every technological bell and whistle that Mark Swann’s fevered imagination could conjure. The workout center (complete with cardio equipment, weight machines, and a heavily padded sparring room) and the cafeteria were on the third floor. The soundproof gun range was in the basement.

      The new agency had twenty employees, the perfect size to respond to unfolding events fast, light, and with total flexibility. Spun off from the FBI and now organized as a sub-agency of the Secret Service, the arrangement limited Luke’s interactions with the federal bureaucracy. He reported directly to the President of the United States.

      The small campus was surrounded by security fencing, topped with razor wire. But right now the gates were thrown wide open. They were having an Open House today. And Luke was happy to be here.

      He strode the halls with Susan, eager to show the President of the United States all the things she already knew about. He felt like a five-year-old. He glanced at her from time to time, soaked in her beauty, but did not stare. He stifled the urge to hold hands, which she apparently felt as well, because her hand brushed his hand, his arm, his shoulder, almost constantly.

      She needed to save all that touching for later.

      Luke turned his attention to the building. The place had come together exactly as he had hoped, and so had the SRT. His people had agreed to join him. This was no small matter – with all the strife they had endured, and Luke’s extended absence, it was a gift that everyone was willing to trust him again.

      He and Susan entered the cafeteria and waded through the crowd, trailed by two Secret Service agents. About a dozen people snaked in a line around the food serving bar. Over by the window, Luke spotted the person he was looking for, standing between Ed Newsam and Mark Swann, dwarfed by the rippling muscle of Ed and the beanpole height of Swann. It was his son, Gunner.

      “Come on, Susan, there’s someone over here I want you to meet.”

      Suddenly, she looked stricken. “Wait, Luke! This isn’t the right…”

      He shook his head, and this time he did grab her – by the wrist. “It’ll be fine. Just tell him you’re my boss. Lie to him.”

      They emerged from the crowd and appeared next to Gunner, Ed, and Swann. Swann wore his hair in a ponytail, wraparound glasses on his face. His long body was draped in a black RAMONES T-shirt, faded blue jeans, with yellow-and-black checkerboard Chuck Taylor sneakers on his big feet.

      Ed looked huge in a black turtleneck, beige dress pants, and black leather shoes. There was a gold Rolex watch around his wrist. His hair and beard were jet black, closely cropped, and meticulous, like hedges cared for by a master gardener.

      Swann was information systems – one of the best hackers Luke had ever worked with. Ed was weapons and tactics – he had come through Delta Force after Luke. He was absolutely devastating in the use of force. Ed had a glass of wine – it looked tiny in his giant hand. Swann held a black can of beer with a pirate logo on it in one hand, a plate with several large sandwich slices in the other.

      “Guys, you both know Susan Hopkins, don’t you?” Luke said.

      Ed and Swann shook her hand in turn.

      “Madam President,” Ed said. He looked her up and down and smiled. “Good to see you again.”

      Luke almost laughed at Ed giving the President the wolf’s eye. He ruffled Gunner’s hair. It was slightly awkward, because Gunner was just a little too tall to have his hair ruffled.

      “Madam President, this is my son, Gunner.”

      She shook his hand and put on her friendly I’m the President, and I’m meeting some random kid face. “Gunner, very nice to meet you. How are you enjoying the party?”

      “It’s okay,” he said. He blushed bright red and did not meet her eyes. He was still a shy kid, in some ways.

      “Are your girls here?” Luke said to Ed, changing the subject.

      Ed shrugged and smiled. “Oh, they’re running around somewhere.”

      A woman appeared at the edge of their group. She was tall, blonde, and striking. She wore a red suit and high heels. Even more striking than her looks was the fact that she went straight to Luke, ignoring the President of the United States.

      She held a smartphone out to Luke like a microphone.

      “Agent Stone, I’m Tera Wright, with WFNK, DC’s number one radio news.”

      Luke almost laughed at her self-introduction. “Hi, Tera,” he said. He expected her to ask him about the reopening of the Special Response Team offices, and the mandate the SRT would have to fight terrorism at home and abroad. Nice. It was something he wouldn’t mind talking about.

      “How can I help you?”

      “Well,” Tera began, “I see the President is here at your agency’s grand opening.”

      Luke nodded. “She sure is. I think the President knows how impor – ”

      The woman cut him off. “Can you answer one question for me, please?”

      “Of course.”

      “Are the rumors true?”

      “Uh, I’m not aware of any – ”

      “Rumors have been circulating for a couple of weeks,” Tera Wright informed him.

      “Rumors about what?” Luke said. He glanced around at the group, like a drowning man hoping for a rope.

      Tera Wright raised a hand as if to say STOP. “Let’s do this a different way,” she said. “What would you say is the nature of your relationship with President Hopkins?”

      Luke looked at Susan. Susan was an old hand at this. She didn’t blush. She didn’t look guilty. She merely raised an eyebrow and stared quizzically at the back of the reporter’s head, like she had no idea what this person might be referring to.

      Luke took a breath. “Well, I would say that President Hopkins is my boss.”

      “Nothing more?” the reporter said.

      “Same as you,” Luke said. “She’s also my Commander-in-Chief.”

      He glanced at Susan again, thinking she would jump in now and steer the conversation in a new direction. But now Susan’s chief-of-staff was there, pretty Kat Lopez, in a form-fitting blue pinstriped suit. Kat was still slim, though her face was not nearly as youthful as it had been when she took this job. Three years of constant stress and herding cats would do a number on anyone.

      She was speaking low, practically whispering, directly into Susan’s ear.

      Susan’s face darkened as she listened, then she nodded. Whatever it was, it was bad.

      She looked up.

      “Gentlemen,” she said. “I hope you’ll excuse me.”

      CHAPTER FIVE

      6:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

      The Situation Room

      The White House, Washington, DC

      “Amy,” Kurt said, “please give us Lebanon and Israel. Focus on the Blue Line.”

      On the oversized screen behind him, a map appeared. A second later, it popped up on the smaller screens embedded in the walls. The map showed two territories, bisected by a thick, undulating blue line. To the left of the land area was a pale blue area, denoting the Mediterranean Sea.

      Susan knew the area well enough

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